Short and Sweet...

Some people might say the title of this post describes me...*crickets* Right. I'd tend to disagree too--I'm not SHORT!

Anyway, to get to the point, today has been AWESOME.  LOA ftmfw!  (F.Y.I. LOA stands for Law of Attraction.  I'll let you google "ftmfw" if you don't already know what that means :) )  I don't have a lot of time so I will spare you the play by play.  What I will say is that I was able to--or will be able to be before going to bed--check off every single solitary item on my to-do list for today.  That feels great, amazing, spectacular, etc, etc, etc.

I had a little trouble getting out of bed this morning--but that's nothing new.  But the morning run and work out definitely set the day off right.  Anusara yoga was amazing.  While practicing I really tried being attentive to my intentions--Muscular Energy (hugging the muscles to the bones) and Organic Energy (extending energy out).  My favorite pose in the sequence was this one:

"Vasisthasana (variation) " or "Wild Thing"

Practing this pose seemed to lengthen my entire spine as well as my sides.  It also reminded me of modern dance--which I LOVE! 

I had the most trouble with this pose:

"Vasisthasana" or  "Side Plank Pose"

I wasn't able to do the fully extended version like the chick in the picture.  Instead I practiced this variation:

I know, not quite as impressive.  But I am definitely going to work up to the the full extension of the pose.  I planned to practice this sequence again this evening because I thought I might be able to balance better when I am not coming straight off of a run.  Unforunately I don't think that's in the master's plan for this evening.  Although I will be practicing Sweet Surrender...again...for the third night in a row.  (Can you tell I love that sequence?)  I sleep so good after doing it, and I think it is helping with some chronic discomfort that I have in my upper back.

....Hmmmm guess this wasn't so "short and sweet" after all huh?

Ciao!  Off to check that last item off my to-do list.

Totally Unrelated:  Downloaded a new (to me) Drake Mix Tape this morning and found this gem.  This remake takes me back to sophmore year of college when this came out.

Yin and Anusara...Yoga that is

Seriously, Yoga Home Practice Guide on YogaJournal.com is making my life this week.  I love learning about the different styles of yoga, and the home practice guide is just what I need to keep my life in balance this week. 

"Practice Balance So that Your Life Will be in Balance"--A Yogi

So last night, after studying in the library until about 11:30 pm--maybe later--, I went home and tried "Sweet Surrender."  I thought the name of the sequence was fitting because I wanted a relaxing practice to help calm my thoughts and put me to bed for the evening.  This sequence was PERFECT for that.  Normally when I practice yoga, I'm all about the POWER and the FLOW classes--but at what ended up being 12:30 a.m. I was definitely too tired for that.  But Sweet Surrender is a Yin Yoga sequence.  I'd never heard of or tried Yin before, but after practicing it last night, I am definitely going to incorporate it into my iYogi repertoire.

This practice was all about stillness, calm and meditation.  The guide suggests holding each asana (pose) for 3-5 minutes.  Aside from the physical benefits of remaining in these poses for an extended time, the mental benefits of this practice is what made it super worthwhile:

"Holding poses for three to five minutes often brings up discomfort. Yin conditions you to stay with the intense sensations that arise, rather than quickly moving into the next pose. “It trains you to become more comfortable with discomfort instead of becoming alarmed."

--Andrea Ferretti, Sarah Powers, yogajournal.com

YES!  Learning how to be comfortable with discomfort has been a goal of mine over the last year.  "Feel the feelings"--that's what I say these days.  Who knew yoga could help with that too!  Needless to say I am practicing Sweet Surrender again tonight--regardless of what time I make it to bed.

Also, tomorrow morning I'm going to try "A Fine Balance."  This sequence is from the Anusara Yoga methodology.  "Anusara" means "flowing with Grace" "flowing with nature" "following your heart."  So tomorrow morning--after a short run--I will attempt to "Align with the Divine" through this sequence...and of course I will post about it :)


TOTALLY unrelated: Now Playing: Rude Boy by Rhianna